Parishioner suffers major injuries in tree-felling gone wrong

SAGAMORE HILLS, Ohio — George Homa, 82, longtime parishioner of St. Eugene Parish in Bedford, Ohio, suffered severe injuries Nov. 19, when a 100-foot poplar tree fell on him at his home.

Homa was clearing debris on his property following a series of high-wind storms when approached by a crew from Alternative Property Management.

He decided to let them finish clearing the debris and, as a preventive measure, also asked them to remove a healthy poplar tree to avoid any damage to the property by the tree in the future.

His wife, Lois, said Homa was outside during the preparation and expressed concern that the crew was not prepping the tree to fall in the right direction. Homa said the men dismissed his concern, saying they had been cutting trees for years and knew what they were doing.

However, Homa soon heard the crack of the tree falling in his direction. As he ran to try to flee from harm’s way, he stumbled on a vine and got pinned under the fallen four-and-a-half-foot diameter tree.

A rescue squad took Homa to a local hospital; from there, he was life-flighted to Metro Healthcare Center, Cleveland’s Level 1 Adult Trauma Center.

He sustained a crushed ankle, and broken patella, tibia, fibula, hips, ribs and scapula, as well as a thoracic vertebrae fracture. He has since undergone hip surgery and two leg surgeries.

Following the last surgery Dec. 6, Homa was transferred to a rehabilitation center for physical therapy.

At press time, he was able to stand with weight on his good leg for a few minutes but could not put any weight on the leg with the permanent pins. He did not expect to be able to put weight on it for several weeks yet.

Despite his hardship, Homa shared his sense of humor and positive outlook during a recent visit at the rehabilitation center.

“They make very good pizza here!” he said.

Homa has been a member of St. Eugene Parish since the church was located in Maple Heights. He was present in 1964, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the parish church’s current location in Bedford.

In addition to injuring Homa, the tree also crushed the back of his house and demolished the screened-in gazebo.

Alternative Property Management reportedly listed a false address on its business cards, misrepresented itself as having liability insurance and, at press time, was still unresponsive to inquiries about the incident.

According to Cleveland’s ABC Channel 5, none of the workers had valid driver’s licenses and the plates on their vehicle were expired. Police are investigating.

Barberton Tree Service, a reputable local company, saw the news report and removed the tree from Homa’s property at no cost.

Home owners’ insurance will cover the repairs on the house, but Homa is now facing massive medical expenses.

Caption:George Homa recovers in a rehabilitation center on Christmas after undergoing several surgeries for major injuries he sustained when a tree fell on him. A "Go Fund Me" page was created to help him with significant medical bills. (Photo: Emily Creque)

As published in Horizons, Jan. 21, 2018.
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